Door-releasing mechanism.



PATBNTED FEB. 13, 1906.

E. KAUNTZE.

DOOR RELBASING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.26,1904.

Witnesses:-

Fig. 2 is an end view of same.

UNITED Wigwam. m n

EDWARD KAUNTZE, or HANFORD', CALIFORNIA.

DO OR- RELEASlNG MECHANISM.

To all whom it may concern: 1 Be it known that I, EDWARD KAUNTZE, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Handesigned forconvenie'nt andinstantaneous releasing of doo rs.

It Consists of a suitable which the door is normally secured,a weight orequivalent device by'which the latch may be disengaged and the doorreleased, a destructible support upon which the weight is normallycarried, and an electrical device by which the Weight may be released tounlockthe door.

It also comprises combinations of parts and details of construction,which will be more fully explained by reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which 1 Figure 1 is a side elevation of my device. Fig. 3is a rear view of the keeper, showing a tapered latching-bolt engagingthe balls.

My invention is designed for the rapid releasing of doors in anemergency, and is especially available for theaters and other buildingswhere large public gatherings ocour and in which by reason of fire orother accident it is necessary to promptly open exits which are normallylocked.

As shown in the accompanying drawings, A is a latching-bolt of anysuitable construction, and this bolt is turnable upon a fulcrum-pin 2,the bolt being thus pivoted so as to be easily swung into a transverseposition in which one end engages a keeper, as at 3.

In the case of single doors the locking-bolt may be preferably journaledin the door-casing and the keeper carried by the door; but in the caseof double doors it will be necessary to carry one portion upon one partof the door and the other upon the other portion of the door, this notbeing material to the operati on of my invention.

As the door will be subjected to heavy pressure in case of sudden rush,I haveshown the keeper having ball-races upon each side of the slot inwhich the bolt will be engaged, and within these races balls, as at 4,are fitted, so that when the bolt is turned into locking positi on itengages with these balls.

Any means by which the bolt is turnable to release the door will operateit against any pressure that can be brought upon it becauseSpecification of Letters Patent. Application filed November 25, 1904.Serial No. 234.226.

Patented Feb. 13, 1906.

of the freedomwith which the balls will allowv it to move.

' The oppositeend of the boltis provided with an opening or attachment,as 5, and from this end of the bolt a weight 6 is susk pended ofsuficient capacity to turn the bolt when the weight isreleased. It willbe understood that a: weight or equivalent substi tute for the weightmay be employed:- y In order to hold the weight out of action, a cord,as at 7, is so connected asto prevent theweight from acting to disengage'thexbolt;

At someportionof its'length this cord is passed through a device bywhich it may be destroyed and the weight released'whenever desired.

. As at present shown the device comprises twonon-conducting plats-8 and9, hinged together at the rear end, and between these plates is anelectrically-resistant substance which may become incandescent anddestroy the cord whenever an electrical current is passed through it. Ihave hereshown this resistance as consisting of fine wire wound aroundto form cylinders, as 10, fixed to the upper section 9, and when theparts are closed together the destructible cord passes beneath thesecylinders and is pressed down against the surface of the lower section.Any equivalent of this device may be employed.

A spring or equivalent, as at 11, controls the movement of the hingeportion and insures its remaining closed when desired and also completesan electrical circuit to be hereina'fter described.

An electrical circuit is completed through the cylinders or theirequivalents 10 by connecting wires from a source of electrical energywith the bindin -posts 12 and 13. The circuit is then comp eted from thebindingpost 12 through the conductor 14 to the rear of the lower part ofthe device, thence through the spring 11 to the upper plate 9, thencethrough the wire or conductor 15 to the cylinders 10, thence through.the wire 16 to a contact-piece 17 and aspring 18 to a lever 19, whichisi'ulcrumed upon the lower non-conducting plate 8.

The cord 7, by which the weight is prevented from acting, passes beneaththe coils 10," thence over the lever 19, and the weight upon the cord issufiicient to bring the outer end of the lever 19 down into contact withthe binding-post 13, so that this circuit is complete.

/ The wires upon the binding-post may lead to any distant or convenientpoint within reach of the proper official, so that in any case ofemergency the circuit is closed at this distant point, thus energizingthe parts herein described, and the devices 10 will behealted to such anextent as to destroy the cord 7, thus releasing the weight, whichimmediately falls and acts to swing the latch or bolt out of engagementwith the keeper, and the door is thus instantly released.

In order to open and close the door without interfering with theelectrical apparatus here-' in described, I have shown the bolt or pinupon which the latch is turnable as extended through the sides of thedoor and made'p'olygonal, so as to receive a key, as shown at 20. Thiscan be operated by the watchman or other employee whenever it is desiredto open tlile door in theusual manner or from the out s1 e.

A spring, as at 21, is adapted to press upon the sides of the polygonalshank with sufficient force to hold the latch in position When eitherengaged or disengaged with the keeper.

In order to make it possible to open the door without recourse to theelectrical device in case of destruction of connections or otheraccident by which such device might not work, I have shown a lever, asat 22, connected with one end of the turnable pivot-pin of the bolt orlatch, and this is normally inclosed in a destructible casing upon whichmay be marked instructions to break the casing in case of emergency.-The casing being thus broken exposes the lever or crank, so that any onemay turn it and instantly open the doors.

In order to reduce friction of the latch under pressure, it may be madewedge-shaped, as shown in Fig. 3, so that only its upper portioncontacts with the balls or rollers 4. This allows it to move more easilyin the arc in which it travels.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent', is-

1. In a door-releasing device, a latch pivoted and turnable upon onemember of the door structure, a vertically-slotted keeper upon the othermember, with which the latch may be engaged, a weight suspended from theinner end of the latch, a destructible cord connected therewith by whichsaid weight is normally held out of action, and means controlled from adistant point fordestroying the cord and thereby releasing the suspendedweight to allow it to disengage the latch.

2. In a door-releasing device, a pivoted vertically-turnable latchcarried, upon one member of the door structure, a keeper carried uponthe other member having a vertical slot and antifrictional deviceswithin the slot with which the latch engages, a suspended weight soconnected with the o posite end of the latch that when disengage it willact to swing the latch and release the door, a destructibl'e cordconnectin'g with the weight of the latch, a cord by which the weight isnormal-ly suspended out of action, an electricallyheated part with whichthe cord is maintained in contact, means for completing an elec- Itrical circuit whereby said part is heated, the cord destroyed and theweightallowed to act to disengage the latch. v

. 4. In a door-releasing device, a turnable latch and a keeper locatedupon the door and the frame thereof, a weight connected with the latch,a cord by which said weight is normally held out of action, a device bywhich said cord may be destroyed, said device consisting of electricalconductors capable of being heated, plates between which. saidconductors are carried, electrical circuits established through saidconductors a springpressed lever over which and in contact with theparts to be heated the suspending-cord is passed, whereby the lever isheld in position to form part of the electrical circuit and distantcontacts by which said circuit may be closed and the cord destroyed.

5. In a door-releasing device, an antifrictional keeper located in onemember of the door structure, a vertically-turnable latch, a shaftupon'which said latch is centrally fixed with its ends projecting inopposite directions, a weight acting upon one end of the latch todisengage the other end from the keeper, a destructible retaining deviceand an electrically-actuated means controlled from a distant point forgenerating a destructive heat by which said device may be destroyed andthe weight released. I

6. In a door-releasing device, a latch and kee er located respectivelyin the door-casing an door, a pivot-pin to which the latch is centrallyfixed, said pivot-pin having pro- EDWARD KAUNTZE.

Witnesses: in

